The present invention relates to a mounting structure for a water blocking cap in a wiper device, a method for mounting a water blocking cap, and a wiper device.
The wiper device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2015-110362 includes a shaft holder configured to support a pivot shaft of a wiper arm and a water blocking cap covering the shaft holder from above. The shaft holder includes a tubular stem through which the pivot shaft is inserted and a fixed portion that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from the outer peripheral surface of the stem. The fixed portion is fixed to the vehicle body. The water blocking cap includes a mounting portion through which the stem of the shaft holder is inserted and a water receiver extending radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the mounting portion. The water receiver constitutes a flow path for receiving water, such as rain water, and draining it in a predetermined direction.
In order to increase the area on the windshield wiped by the wiper device described in the above publication, it is effective to arrange the pivot shaft and the stem of the shaft holder, which supports the pivot shaft, as close to the outer end in the vehicle width direction as possible. When the stem of the shaft holder is located close to the outer end in the vehicle width direction, the part of the fixed portion that is fixed to the vehicle body is close to the stem. In this configuration, components are packed in a small area. In such a case, there is a possibility that the water blocking cap will interfere with the fixed portion of the shaft holder when the water blocking cap is mounted to the stem of the shaft holder. Therefore, the water blocking cap must be shaped so as not to interfere with the fixed portion of the shaft holder at the time of the mounting operation. This may prevent the water receiver of the water blocking cap from being arranged at a desired position where it should be arranged.